tex-tonic house 1&2

3

tex-tonic house1 & 2Paul McAneary Architects’ multi design award winning project.

5

With special thanks to our incredible client. Also thanks to, Candice

Sevenus and all at Quantum, Claire Goggin of Jackson Coles, Daniel

Fryer at Clancy Consultants, David McNeil at Plank Co, Farquhar

Laing and Sam Ogilvy of Black Isle Bronze, Gary Knowles, John

Phoenix, Matt Jeeves of Peter Deer and Associates, Palmalisa

Zantedeschi, Richard James and Simon Heslop of Direct Stone.

7

tex-tonic house 1&2

Paul McAneary Architects

First Edition

Photography ©2005-2013 Paul McAneary

Text, design and layout ©2005-2013 Paul McAneary Architects Ltd

Typeset in PMA font ©2005-2013 Paul McAneary

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever

without written permission from Paul McAneary.

And thanks to the Paul McAneary Architects team and consultants

for all their dedication, skill and hard work in bringing all our projects

to fruition: Afsa Akbar, Ai Beshio, Alejandro Restrepo, Alexandra

Sterling, Alexandra Toogood, Aleksandra Waluda, Anastasia

Prodanets, Andrea Sanchis Nadal, Boyoon Zang, Carlotta

Poggiaroni, Cecilia Lundberg, Claudia Mayr, Cheng Huang, Daniel

Milla Pineda, Daniela Schneider, Danny Fryer, Daniel Morgan,

Edward Stewart-Wood, Eriko Shimizaki, Fabio Ferrian, Francesca

Menestò, Francesc Regincos Segui, Fulvio Robustelli, Ilze Pienaar,

Jenna Larke, Jonathan Schoening, Joseph Shih-Chou Chan,

Jaymee Medne, Jaroslaw Engel, Jorge Bressel Mateo, Justin

Randle, Karen Malacarne, Karin Joel, Kumiko Hirayama, Laura

Lerma Sanchéz, Lena Osthushenrich, Marina Markides, Mary

Dymond, Matthias Laumayer, Mike Beacham, Norbert Kurcz,

Nuria Coll, Oliver Forsyth, Paula Abelairas, Petar Uzelac, Pol Soler,

Roberto Lotto, Sandra Plantos, Sara Dabouni, Serafina Karahassan,

Shirley Jones, Sofia Cababie, Ståle Eriksen, Stefan Bagnoli, Susi

Brakowski, Tommaso Cuni, Tomoko Kagawa, Tony Wilson, Victor

Cupido Valle, Wendy Richards, Wilfried Thévenot.

9

With special thanks to our clients, who, without them, none of

this would be possible: Alan Maloney & Orlagh Collins, Amir &

Caroline Niknafs, Andre Semenza & Fernanda Lippi, Andrew

Matthews & Gail Edwards, Arnaud & Julia de Cremier, Bill & Katryn

Hakes, Carl Kostyál Gallery, Carter’s Educational Foundation,

Chariot Oil & Gas, Sir Charles Bracewell-Smith, Claudia Schiffer,

Claus &Minka Mansfeldt Cindy Morelli, Craig Bonner & Jane

Fordham, David & Philippa Salvoni, David McDermott & Deirdre

Guerin, David McDonald & Diana Layfield, Embassy of Sudan,

Erik & Edith Esselink, Elvis Pellumbi & Alexa Duval, Gary Barlow,

George & Krissy Kallarackal, Gemin-I, Hermione Norris, Hoxton

Waterfront Restaurant, Ian & Kerry Adamson, ICA, IETK ltd,

James Craig, Jamie & Katherine Burgess, Jamie Moore & Annalie

Whitfield, Jean-Marie Getto & Sylvie Linard, Jessica Lask, Jim

McDonald, John Korwin Szymanowski, Joseph Henry & Cheryl

Donovan, Julian & Ruth Al-Mushadani, Kaldewei, Kent Hoskins,

Lina Kanafani, Live Link, Luca Turconi, Lucy Sandring, Malcom

Menzies, Manuel & Laurence Kalbreier, Maria Hadjipateras, Mark &

Lucy Craig, Matthew Vaughn, Merchant Bridge, Michael & Sacha

Von der Geest, Mint Store, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, Nick &

Charlotte Van Gool, No Curfew, Pew, Raj & Ravi Takhar, Richard &

Caroline Piercy, Rugby School, Sara & Peter Sterling, Scott & Fiona

Fairweather, Sean Ramsden, Shabbanna and Tony Akabah, Simon

Wheeler & Hermione Norris, Stephen & Sheila Clarke, Harry Motors

II Ltd, Tara O’Connor, Thomas De Souza-Buckup & Kelly Michel,

Toby Latta, Toni & Guy, Villas & Reita Gadkari, Vincent & Natalie

Negre, Will & Ceilidh Waddington, Yutaka & Maiko Uda.

fireplace

kitchen

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back of house kitchen

living

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masterbedroom

masterbedroom

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fireplace

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tv area

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11

Wine and wood - the two ruling passions of an

intriguing client. Two passions which lead to a

project with a heart in nature and a head truly

ensconced in Oenophilia; Tex-Tonic House 1&2.

12 13

“The simplicity of the lay-out, the honest quality

finishing, openness, flow of natural and perceptive

light, efficient use of vast space with simplistic but

bold features is a dream come true.”

The Tex-Tonic House 1&2 Client

14 15

The site; a 466sqm utilitarian shell on top of the

former Central London Post office. The client; a

family, new to city living with a fervor for the wine

industry. The project commenced by way of an

invited competition between 5 architectural

practices.

Over a trestle table covered in samples, in

the middle of this vast space, the first client

meeting took place. The clients and PMA team

immediately developed a strong connection

over a shared love of exquisite design and a good

Bordeaux. From this connection a unique concept

started to transpire; a new warmer minimalism,

combining natural materials and new techniques

with clean lines and forms.

16 17

reclaimed london stock bricks unpointed and laid out of level for textural contrast

Three ‘boxes’ form the private living area, two

clad in chunky oak sections and the third in a

new material Paul conceived for this project;

cast-timber-bronze. This new material responds

to the client’s enthusiasm for natural materials,

and in a new and innovative way magnifies the

exquisite effect of the natural grain. Starting with

these boxes an essay on timber forms unfurls

throughout the project, from the cantilevered oak

stairs, the 200 year old Rhodesian teak front door,

to the 466sqm engineered oak floor. This striking

natural narrative concludes where the project

began; with wine. A suspended oak mezzanine

floor supports a floating wine cellar above the

living area, the 3200 wine bottles are displayed

horizontally and supported on 2268 meters of

tension wire. Specially designed lighting from

below produces a beautiful glowing effect of the

bottles, a focal point for any true Oneophile to

admire.

18 19

the monolith timber cast concrete fireplace serving as a source of heat and spatial connections, but also as a room dividing device

The large open plan main living area is broken up

by a freestanding sculptural concrete fire place,

addressing both the living as well as the dining

area. The in-situ cast concrete fireplace with

exposed timber plank shuttering combines both

the natural concrete and natural texture of timber.

The result is a ‘raw’ material with a very natural

texture - a simply beautiful product.the grid, screens, panel and in fill with views of ‘the garden’ deliberately with traditional Japanese contemporary interpretations

20 21

the concealed AV, with a fully integrated home automated system remote I.R. and sound resonate the woven mesh around the flush mounted TV in family TV area

a timber boxes built out of 100mm thick, wire brushed and sand blasted oak with a caustic soda finish, with almost invisible door entries

The ‘boxes’ of the Tex-Tonic House display natural

textured materials. The thick, ‘chunky ‘100mm

x 200mm oak sections have been designed to

express the depth of the sand blasted oak with

an expressed ‘finger’ or ‘comb’ joining detail. The

array of boxes is illuminated from below to bring

out the natural texture of the material to the full.

For the box in the centre, Paul McAneary Architects

developed a new material, a cast bronze timber

cladding. During the preparation process of the

timber for the cast, the less dense summer growth

of the timber was brushed out to articulate the

maximum texture. Following this process the

timber was burnt to remove the timber’s ‘hair’.

After, the cast of the bronze an acid solution

treatment was applied to achieve a blackened

bronze finish. Finally the ridges were brushed to

create ‘highlights’ expressing the wood texture of

the bronze.

22 23

new material type developed for this project, cast-timber-bronze

24 25

bespoke kitchen fitted with Gaggenau appliances and automated wine dispenser

in-situ cast concrete fireplace with exposed timber plank shuttering combines both the natural concrete and natural texture of timber

26 27

an irrigated ‘infinity’ herb garden built into the bespoke worktop and window sill

a wine serving system by Enomatic, allowing opened bottles of wine to be drunk by the glass while the rest is stored without oxidisation

28 29

floor to ceiling cupboards are incorporated for functional minimal spaces, quality, made to measure, carcasses and doors were used for a beautiful façade that disappears into the language of the architecture

PMA aimed to hide the technology as much as

possible, to fully integrate all requirements so as

the space could remain as calm, uncluttered and

contemplative as possible. The space has a fully

integrated AV system including B&W surround

sound speakers and an integrated monitor into

the storage wall which facilitates the numerous

and ever increasing types of media. The KNX

system that was installed allows the occupier of

the spaces to operate light, sound, heating, alarm,

blinds, internet and TV from any space within the

apartment, from their iPad.

30 31

back of house kitchen’s with private entries to the apartments were designed to allow staff to enter discretely and serve from the hidden food and drink preparation areas, plus a concealed area of utilities in non-party occasions

the dolby 5.1, 3D home cinema with acoustically designed space and absorption

Paul’s lighting philosophy was to provide

numerous options that could be tuned to different

settings and saved to facilitate the multitude of

uses of the space at any time of the day or night.

Apart from the lighting for the kitchen and dining

table, all light fittings are concealed all lighting

is therefore indirect as a result minimalistic and

atmospheric. The settings can be adjusted from

very dim to a dramatic use of light.

32 33

detailed ceiling lattice work, also in oak that supports an acoustic ceiling

sandblasted oak beams and columns with dowelled mortise and tenon pinned joints

The client is passionate about gardening and

vegetation. Therefore we designed a 50 metre

long living wall that wraps around tex-tonic 1 and

2: a self-contained and irrigated planting system

incorporating ‘acid yellow’, green and white

planting scheme. The long horizontal curtain

walling maximises the perception of spacial

continuity between the interior and the exterior

so that the external roof garden becomes a vital

ingredient of the internal living space.

34 35

the ‘ribbon’ garden concept- a 50 metre long vertical living wall: a self-contained and irrigated planting system incorporating ‘acid yellow’, green and white planting scheme, giving a green outlook from all angles in this central London location

36 37

The aim was to make the mezzanine floor plate to

appear floating: the structural challenge was to

reduce floor thickness to the minimum possible, as

a result it is only 95mm thick. This was technically

achieved by suspending the floor from the steel

roof structure. Slender 50mm bars support the

very thin floor. The chilled wine store is supported

by 10mm thin fins, which apart from the structural

purpose, function together with the 2268 metre

tension wire as shelving for up to 3200 bottles.ultra thin mezzanine floor finished in manipulated engineered oak boards- hanging off the roof

38 39

floating wine cellar at mezzanine level with wine bottles displayed horizontally, special lighting from below produces a beautiful glowing effect of the bottles

40 41

oversized front door made of 200 year old Rhodesian Teak

The entrance to the Tex-Tonic House is made of

200 year old Rhodesian Teak. It measures 3.7m

x 1.4m and weights approximately 450kg. The

door is illuminated from above to emphasise

the beautiful texture of this precious wood. The

oversized appearance and the textured feeling

of the door generate the visitor’s enthusiasm and

expectation for the interior.

42 43

the minimal sculpture display area with concealed lighting slot detail, illuminating the con-cealed cloak room. the right hand side of the display opens as one huge hidden door to access and change the light bulbs

44 45

single monolithic expressed oak treads with lighting detail emphasisng the single block of timber’s grain and texture

the upper library wall and suspended private office space with views of the ‘boxes’ from their tops

46 47

the single span bespoke design hand rail that spans the levels without support, radiused edges make it grip the natural contours of the hand

48 49

cantilevered solid oak stair treads

a structural glass floor connects the mezzanine level and brings light from the skylight above to both floor levels

50 51

mezzanine office with floor to ceiling storage wall, frameless skylights and uninterrupted views of the open plan space

52 53

walk in wardrobe off the master bedroom, with natural daylight designed to be at an angle to take in the most light for dressing in the morning

54 55

private areas within the timber boxes include bedrooms with natural light

56 57

the hanging spout-bringing water to the public washroom basin

pull out rails best utilise the hanging space into the eaves

58 59

‘floating’ vanity detail- with shower to the left and WC to the right, both with skylights above and share ‘quiet’ ventilationceiling-mounted spout, and simple mixer into sculptural basin

60 61

lava stone feature wall

62 63

chipped faced natural stone contrasts the smooth plaster in the en-suite bathroom. the slot into the roof, orientated to maximise daylight at the time of the morning shower

64 65

sky shower

66 67

68 69

oak sections have been designed to express the depth of the sand blasted oak with an expressed ‘finger’ or ‘comb’ joining detail

70 71

the concealed services with ethernet and telephone, power hidden in floor socket boxes to avoid visible wires at all costs

72 73

textured - techtonics; ‘tex-tonic’

74 75

“For urban inventiveness, look to Paul McAneary Architects. Whether it’s an unusual extension or a striking apartment renovation, it produces striking and adventurous contemporary designs. One strength that ticks GDM’s boxes is the awy the practice incorporates bespoke built-in furniture for clutter-free living. Grand Designs special 100th issue, The Big 100 Architects, June 2012

“The space was treated to become functional at the same time as beautiful and in connection with all the elements of the house. The use of natural materials gives a cosy and modern look”Carolina Calzada, SBID Awards 2012

“To create an indoor-outdoor space more in keeping with Kent’s New Zealand roots, he hired Paul McAneary Architects Ltd, who created the most adventurous design they could within planning rules”. Luke Trebutt, Ideal Home, January 2012

“By no exaggeration, Mint is the most unique dynamic and visionary design store in London. ”Max Frazer, London Design Guide 2010

“Wooden Wonder. Here’s a no-holds-barred project that’s proof of the potential of wood. Designed by London-based practice Paul McAneary Architects, it’s been shortlisted for the Wood Awards 2011, and no wonder.”Sarah Baldwin, Grand Designs, September 2011

“An unprecedented second successive category win for Paul McAneary Architects was secured with Tex-Tonic House 1...this is a breathtaking space that won the judges vote for Living Space Design of the Year in what was a particularly strong crop of shortlisted entries this year.”Martin Allen-Smith, Designer Magazine, October 2011

“He embraces the rigours of minimalism, and for him, perfection is all. ”Judith Wilson, House & Garden, January 2012

“From the outside, Paul McAneary Architects’s Tex-Tonic House is a subtle addition to London’s roofscape. ....McAneary, who once worked in John Pawson’s office, has tackled the client’s demands with gusto.”Jonathan Bell, Wallpaper, August 2011

“With such inspiring creativity and the ability to push ideas beyond the boundaries of convention it’s no wonder that Paul McAneary Architects’ concept for this incredible project not only won the pitch but also scooped the Living Space Design of the Year Award.”Alison Nicholls, Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms, February 2012

Press

76 77

Exhibitions

NLA

‘Dont Move, Improve!’ 2010 & 2012

Faceted House 1 & Tex-Tonic House 1

Architect Foundation

‘Young Architect of the Year 2011’

Tex-Tonic House 1

Lectures

Institute of Contemporary Arts

London 2009

‘Paul McAneary Architects’

Pecha Kucha

Belfast 2009

‘Love Hate Doing’

Izmir University, Department of Architecture

Turkey 2011

‘Paul McAneary Architects’

EcoBuild 2012

UK 2012

‘Natural Materials; Elegant Style’

BD Dyson Airblade

Winner

Washroom Competition 2010

Paul McAneary Architects Ltd

Shortlisted

‘Young Architect of the Year 2011’

Tex-Tonic House

Winner

‘Living Space Design of the Year ‘

Design Awards 2011

Finalist

Structural Category

Wood Awards 2011

Faceted House 1

Winner

‘Living Space Design of the Year ‘

Design Awards 2010

Winner

‘Space Planning Category’

SBID International Design Awards 2012

Awards

Tortoise Enclosure

Highly Commended

Surface Design Awards 2013

78 79

the PMA team outside their Flitcroft Street office

£20 RRP6 Flitcroft Street London WC2H 8DJT +44 20 72 400 500F +44 20 72 406 808info@paulmcaneary.com www.paulmcaneary.com